One thing has always been quite certain in my life. My dislike of Jazz. My journey through modern psychedelic music however, has been quietly sneaking me in the door and exposing me to jazz elements through bands like Kungens Man and Mythic Sunship. So it’s no surprise that I have slowly been working my way deeper into the realm by exploring what the El Paraiso label has to offer. The Jaiyede Sessions pulls me further in by combining the talents of London’s Tamar Osborn and Al MacSween and Denmark’s Jonas Munk, Jakob Skøtt and Martin Rude. Jazz meets jazz-psyche, which by definition, puts it further on the jazz scale than I would normally feel comfortable listening to. There is however just enough psych here to keep it on the edges free-form organ solos, sax riffs, running baselines, eclectic drumming it’s all there, all the things that would normally turn me off. The record however holds me in place with its excellent use of effects, electronics and guitar work providing the foundation that caused me to enjoy the records from Causa Sui so much. The shorter track Soujourner provides an interesting tribal rhythm layered with flute and keys that emphasizes more of the experimental side of things. “Enter Momentum” begins with a very ambient feel creating alot of space before the sax and flute start their journey at a pace that is not as frenetic as the two parts of the title track. The album closes with “Celestial Navigation”, which as the title suggests is a far more spacey tune with some shimmering keys and slower paced guitar.
Overall, as I continue to listen to this album i discover more and more in the mix that would explain why i enjoy it so much. At first i might have been tempted to brush it off, but knowing some of the players involved I knew there had to be something here for me to hang on to. I’m not quite sure I’m ready for Pharoah Sanders quite yet but maybe sooner than I thought. I would say this record could help many of the Jazz challenged folks like myself find a way in. It’s an excellent record.
Released by El Paraiso and available at fine shops that carry the label. Gotta give a shout out to El Paraiso for their amazing pricing for shipping to the USA. There are audio samples in the link for the label. Sorry no Bandcamp links for this one.
